Flop-over box



Nov. 3, 1942. w. e. SLEIGHTER FLOPOVER BOX Filed Aug. 27, 194Q William 6 fizzy/7f INVENTOR C M/Q BY ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, i42 I Y U D This invention relates to receptacles for confining mushroom spawn andthe like during the periodof development in which the specially prepared mold or soil is confined in a receptacle, and

has for its object to renderthe process more ex-- peditious, and more productive at lessened cost.-

When a normal, good bed of compost is being cleaned out, it willbe observed that the last two I inches of manure in the bottom of the bed still has a considerable amount of mossy gray mycelium present, which apparently has not given up its stored food to produce mushrooms. It is accordingly the principal object of this invention to provide a receptacle containing the bed that. will permit the turning over of the bed so as to utilize the spawn in these last few inches of the bed without destroying the spawn. Heretofore, mushroom growers have used a shovel to flop or turn over the compost in the beds. This method requires hard labor and skill, breaks up the compost, destroying a considerable amount of the spawn. The use of a flop-over receptacle as contemplated by the invention will not disturb the compost as the same is flopped over, and will result in the mushrooms coming into bearing quicker, with less labor, and will produce a much larger yield.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, where- Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of the flop-over box.

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the box with the bottom uppermost.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through the box in normal position (with bottom cover at the bottom) I Referring to the drawing in detail, l0 denotes the receptacle which will hereinafter be referred to as a flop-over box, and comprises an elongated rectangular box-like structure preferably made of suitable wood planking and open at its top and bottom. The box I0 is formed to provide side-walls II and I2, and end walls l3 and I4 suitably joined together in any desiredmanner. To increase the rigidity of the box l0, there is provided in each of the corners thereof, a cornor brace l5 'formd o'f quartereroun'd stock which; extends the full width of the sideand end walls with the endsvthereof lying flush with the edges of said walls,- and 'e'ach being rigidly secured in any desired manner to adjacent side-and endwalls. I

"Adapted for placement ineac'h of the bottom and top -openings of the box lllis respectively, a bottom cover I6 and a top cover l1, both being substantially identical and interchangeable. Each cover is formed of a pair of planks I8 and I9 arranged in side by side abutting relation, and suitably joined together in any desired manner. To insure rigidity of each cover and to prevent warping thereof there is provided on the outer surface of each cover a plurality of cross braces 20 fastened in any suitable manner to the planks l8 and I9. The cross-braces 20 extend the full width of the cover and may be either of wood or metal. While any desired number of cross-braces 20 may be utilized, the outermost cross-braces 20 should be positioned closely adjacent the trans verse ends of said covers. In order to permit the insertion of the bottom and top covers I6 and I! into their respective openings, the corners thereof are preferably beveled as at 2| so asto clear the quarter-round corner braces 15. Pref: erably the length and width of each cover is made slightly less than the corresponding inside dimensions of the box In, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, so as to permit the covers to fit inside of the box 10, as sometimes the compost therein varies in thickness.

In use, either the bottom cover l6 or the top cover I! is in position with reference to the bet 1 tom opening of the box I0 which is filled with the compost 22. Diagonal braces 23 arranged one at each end of the box ID are positioned adjacent the bottom edges of the box I0 in the bottom opening so as to provide abutments for the bottom cover l6. When it is desired to flop-over the box ID for the purpose as hereinabove described,

the top opening is closed by a cover, which along with the bottom. cover is clamped to the box It) by the clamps 24 and 25, thereby permitting the box I0 to be turned over.

The clamps 24 and 25 are identical, hencea Thus,

and a lower metallic strap 21 having a length greater than the transverse width of the box [0. The lower strap 21 is formed with an eye 28 at each end thereof so as to be disposed outwardly of the sides of the box l0. Extending through each eye 28 is a bolt 29 which serves to pivotally or hingedly connect to said eye, the eye 30 of an eye-bolt 3|. The upper strap 26 is provided at each end with a slot 32 through which the threaded end of the eye-bolt 3| is adapted to extend and which is provided with a wing-nut 33 for seating engagement on the outer surface of the upper strap 26. Turning of the wing-nuts 33 on the eye-bolts 3| will act to clamp the upper and lower straps 26 and 21 in place to thereby retain the covers l6 and I! in position to permit a flopping over of the box In without disturbing the compost 22 therein. In view of the hinge connection of the eye-bolts 3| to the ends of the lower strap 21, the latter may readily be positioned in place beneath the bottom cover IS. The upper strap 26 is then placed over the top cover l1 and the eye-bolts 3| moved up into the slots 32, and upon setting up on the wing-nuts33 both covers are quickly clamped in position.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

A receptacle adapted to contain compost for mushroom growth comprising an elongated rectangular box open at its top and bottomends, top and bottom covers providing closure means each adapted to respectively loosely fit bodily within said top and bottom ends, a pair of parallel brace means within said box and disposed in diagonally opposed relation to limit inward movement of one of said covers and to position the same such that the outer surface thereof will lie in the plane of the adjacent end edges of said box, a pair of parallel transverse cross-members fixed in the outer surface of each cover adjacent the ends thereof such as to space said cover and box from a supporting surface, and a separable clamping means arranged in surrounding relation to said box, one adjacent each end thereof and between the parallel cross-members of each pair for securing said top and bottom covers to said box to permit a turning over of said box without disturbing the compost therein, each said clamping means comprising a lower strap having an eye formed at each end thereof, said strap exceeding in length the width of said box, an eye-bolt at each end ofsaid lower strap, bolt means hingedly connecting an eye-bolt to an eye of said lower strap, and said upper strap having a slot formed in each end thereof and of a length corresponding tot'that of saidllowerzstrap, said slots being adapted ,to-receive the threaded ends of said eyebolts, and a wing-nut on each threaded end arranged to; have seating engagement on the outer surface of said upper strap.

WILLIAM G. SLEIGHTER. 

